


Catch

by LadyLienDa



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo 2019 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood, Gen, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Minor Violence, Space Pirates, but not a lot, thwarted escape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 07:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17596988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLienDa/pseuds/LadyLienDa
Summary: Keith just wanted to get some gifts for his friends. Some bounty hunters have other ideas.Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo!Prompt: Thwarted Escape





	Catch

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was requested by anon on Tumblr!  
> anon wrote: for the bthb, can i request thwarted escape with keith? maybe broganes
> 
> You got it, anon! 
> 
> *I got a bit carried away and wrote seven pages. Hope it's decent!

The morning would have almost been enjoyable, if not for the humidity. The air was thick and heavy, pressing in around him like an Altean doo-flax feather pillow and making him feel like he was in a giant sauna. Keith hated saunas.

He turned down another row of stalls in the massive, open-air market and surveyed the area with growing impatience. He tapped the bulky comm on his wrist, wishing once again he was wearing his armor. If not for the air filtration system, then certainly for the headsets. This wrist commlink had once been smaller, but Pidge’s addition of a scanner had left it bulky and unwieldy.

“Coran, I’m not seeing anything that looks like this…what was its name again?”

“ _Golden Gilliflower!”_ Coran replied brightly. “ _They’re big and yellow, usually tied in little bulb shapes to preserve their petals. Very useful in medicinal tea! That stuff will cure skeleton sickness faster than a pack of yalmors can dig up a faunotonium patch!”_

Keith wanted to point out that humans couldn’t _get_ skeleton sickness but thought better of it. Several alien market-goers walking by frowned at the small, strange creature standing in the middle of the street talking to his wrist. Keith ignored them.

 _“Well, it won’t be useful if we can’t find the flowers.”_ Shiro said over the comms. “ _We’ve looked everywhere, it seems._ ”

“ _Yeah, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”_ Lance complained.

 _“Ah, well. Don’t worry too much if you can’t.”_ Coran assured them. _“Anyway, the foreman here says repairs should be finished in about a varga, so you’ve all got until then to be back at the platform. Go use that GAC and have some fun! Maybe find Allura something sparkly!”_

“ _Thanks, Coran.”_ Said Shiro. “ _We’ll see you then. Did everyone get that?”_

There was a chorus of “ _Got it!”_ over the comms, followed by a short beep that signaled the end of the conversation.

Keith lowered his wrist and scanned the crowded market. That ever-present nagging voice in the back of his head said he should probably stay focused on the task – but what task was that? Coran had told them not to worry about the flowers and to have some fun. That _was_ the mission.

 _Shopping_? Keith thought with some dismay. _What do I even shop for?_

Keith had never been one for shopping. It seemed a frivolous activity to him, since he’d never had much money to spend in the first place. If he did, it was only spent on necessities. Coran had given each paladin a bit of GAC (Keith hadn’t asked where he’d gotten it) in case they found the flowers he was looking for, but now the mission had changed. What would he even spend it on? He didn’t have that many hobbies and all their necessities were taken care of by the castle. Some extra clothes would be nice – his socks were already threadbare after all the hours spent on the training deck, but he doubted he’d be able to find human-shaped clothes here. Everything he’d seen so far was too small, too large, or had four sleeves.

Shrugging, he started walking, his gaze flicking over each stall. Now that he wasn’t looking for yellow flowers, he was better able to focus on what else the vendors had to offer. There was so much variety! He passed several stands with tech apparatus he knew Pidge would love, a clothing shop specifically for females (it seemed sparkles and pink were a universal signal for girly things) that reminded him of Allura, and a few food vendors that Hunk would probably be drooling over were he in this part of the market. He could smell the deliciously sizzling fried food from across the aisle.

As he wandered, feeling distinctly out of place in this busy, crowded market full of strange people, sights, and sounds and feeling his shirt collar beginning to stick to his neck from the humidity and heat, he tried to stay aware of his surroundings. There were so many people here, so many places for enemies to hide… he had to stay on the alert. Anything could happen.

By the end of the varga, however, he forgot all about staying vigilant. He had spent most of the time searching for things he knew his friends would like. Almost right away he’d found a bottle of (fresh) nunvil for Coran and a video game for Pidge and Lance. It looked interesting, and he hoped it worked with their console. If not, he figured Pidge would figure out a way to play it anyway.

He knew Hunk needed a new spatula after coming into the kitchen one day to find the Yellow Paladin cursing in Altean and holding up two broken halves of the spatula handle.

 For Allura and Hope, he picked out two sparkly boxes with lids. He had no idea what they would use them for, but they were colorful and girly, and he figured the two would have at least something to put in them. Girls liked that kind of stuff, didn’t they?

That just left Shiro. In all honesty, Keith had no idea what his brother would like. Shiro had changed so much in his missing year that sometimes Keith wondered if he was even the same person. He’d always been the quieter sort, not one for lots of hobbies. While the others (not Keith) were hanging out or playing games, he was either training or spending time with his lion.

Just as Keith was about to give up and return to the platform where they’d landed the ship for some external repairs, he spotted something on one of the corner stalls -a stack of thick, nondescript blankets in a variety of colors. They’d caught his eye because most of them were the same colors as Voltron: yellow, blue, green, and a lot in black and red. There was a large sign above them written in some alien language Keith couldn’t read. He moved closer, intrigued, and held up his scanner to translate the words.

_HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING?_

TRY THE ALL-NEW DREAM CO. TM WEIGHTED BLANKET!

_If you have trouble sleeping or problems with stress and anxiety, this new leap in sleep science can help you!_

The rest of the ad was a bunch of lists showcasing the blanket’s superior quality, scientific stats, etc. Keith smiled.

_Perfect._

Several moments later, he was weaving his way back through the maze of people and stalls, his pockets light and his arms heavy with goods. He was so focused on getting back to the ship (the one-varga time limit was almost up), he completely forgot to check his surroundings. If he had, he would have noticed something was amiss much quicker.

With his arms full, Keith stumbled awkwardly to the edge of the market and down the street in the direction of the landing pad. He could just see the tip of the castle over the spires of the large city buildings surrounding the market. Keeping that in his sight, he turned down another street almost without thinking.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Keith stopped, almost overbalancing himself with his heavy load.

At once, he realized his error. In his haste to get back to the castle he’d wandered off the main streets and down one of the smaller side roads, cramped and dim like an alley. At the end of the road two figures lurked, one brawny with huge shoulders and a comparatively small head, and the second thin and noodle-like with four arms.

Keith swallowed. His mouth was suddenly very dry. The two shadowed figures moved toward him, and Keith instinctively backed away. He was about to dart away back the way he’d come, but as he turned he became aware of a third figure that had come silently up behind him. This person had a hunched back, long beak-like face, and long arms that trailed on the ground in front of him. Keith tried not to look at the long claws dragging menacingly in the dirt.

“You lost, little _indul_?” Called one of the first two figures, startling Keith’s attention back to them. To his horror, they had almost closed the distance between them. Keith was boxed in. Heart hammering, his gaze flicked wildly around him at each of the alien faces smirking down at him. He hefted the goods in his arms and wished he had a hand free to grab his knife.

“L-look, you guys.” He said, cursing himself at how weak and small his voice sounded. “I don’t have any money.”

The four-armed one grinned. “Oh, we’re not looking to pick your pocket, or even those goodies you’re carrying.” It was the same voice as before, a thin, reedy sound that crept into his ears and left a chill behind. Now that he was close enough, he could see the bright blue eyeshadow above her cold, silver eyes and the unforgiving, cruel smirk on her face. “The bounty on your head will be _much_ more than whatever you’ve got in your hands, little paladin.”

Keith couldn’t breathe. _How did they know?_

He could worry about that later. He needed to get out of here. The female was still talking.

“The red Paladin. We’ve heard much of your prowess in battle. Who knew he was so easy to corner?”

Her silver eyes were empty of any empathy.

“So small.” Her companion murmured, his voice surprisingly silky for such a large brute. “Like a toothpick.”

Something snapped inside Keith, and like a glowstick breaking and lighting up, Keith felt adrenaline spreading through his limbs, making him shake with anticipation.

“Haven’t you heard the smallest ones are the fiercest?”

The cruel smirk on the female’s face faltered, but Keith had already darted between her and her large friend and shot away down the alley. Panic overtook him and his legs carried him almost faster than his body could keep up. The heavy load he was still carrying distorted his balance and more than once he almost slipped or tripped on trash or loose stones in the street.

He skidded around a corner and spied an empty building with caution tape over it (although the tape was green instead of yellow). The doorframe was battered down and he slipped inside, dropping to the splinter-strewn floor and clutching the items in his arms, which were all wrapped up in the weighted blanket he’d bought for Shiro. He huddled there, hardly daring to breathe as he heard distant shouts over the beating of his heart. The sounds got closer.

 _Please go away. Please go away. Please go away_!

This situation was stirring up unpleasant memories; ones he didn’t know he still had. Boots thudding up the stairs. Huddling in the closet or shivering under the bed, unable to make a sound for the icy grip of fear squeezing his heart…

 _“Keith, where are you?”_  The comm on his wrist crackled and flared to life. Keith’s heart stopped.

_No no no! Shut up shut up shut up!!!_

He fumbled with the items in his hands, trying frantically to find the mute button and hoping there wasn’t anyone nearby.

 _“Keith, are you there? Is everything alright?_ ” Shiro sounded concerned.

_No!_

Shouting erupted outside the building and Keith scrambled to his feet and further into the darkness. In his haste, his foot snagged some unseen tool and he crashed to the ground. The gifts spilled out of his hands. Leaping to his feet, Keith drew his dagger and whirled around just as a hulking figure appeared in the caution-tape covered door. For a moment, Keith was transported back to that bedroom, shivering in the closet beneath borrowed clothes with the form of his foster father silhouetted in the doorway.

_I’m not there. I’m not there. Not anymore._

He blinked, his heart hammering so loud he was sure his pursuers could hear it.

“Finally dropped your load?” Said the silky-voiced alien, stalking closer. “Good. Maybe then you’ll put up a fight instead of running like a scared _indul_?”

“We don’t want to damage him.” Said the female voice from the shadows behind him, making him jump and almost drop his knife. She strode forward, one pair of arms crossed the other on her bony hips. “Knock him out and we can turn him in to the empire. Maybe then we can find out where the rest of them are.”

“Over my dead body.”

The female frowned, her silver eyes glittering in the dark. “Well.” She said, sounding rather deflated. “I suppose damaged is better than _dead._ ” She snapped her fingers with both her left hands. “Alnae! Incapacitate him!”

The third alien appeared, long claws glinting in the dim light from the doorway.

Keith snarled and lunged.

A fist appeared out of the corner of his left eye. Keith ducked, throwing his attack off-balance. Sharp claws slashed at him from the long-armed alien in front of him. They caught him at his left shoulder and swept across his chest, tearing into the skin like a spoon through food goo.

Keith fell to the ground, choking on a scream as his head hit the hard floor. Gasping for breath, Keith fought to stay alert amidst the pounding of his head and heart. His vision was fuzzy. The clawmarks burned as if made by fire and already he could feel blood soaking into the shredded remains of his shirt. Dimly, he realized he’d lost hold of his knife.

He was aware of silver eyes glinting above him before a kick to his side sent him curling reflexively into a ball on the ground at the aliens’ feet. Something clamped down on his head and pulled, lifting him off the floor. Instinctively, his hands went to pry whatever was gripping him off, but his movements were clumsy. His vision swam. He opened his mouth to scream but couldn’t draw enough breath. Somewhere, a distorted voice was laughing.

Through the haze of pain, Keith was aware of a blast of purple light flashing across his vision like sunlight on a choppy lake. More shouts reached his ears and there was something like a scream before the pressure on his head suddenly let off. He collapsed to the ground again and lay still, hearing unfamiliar noises continue to assault his ears through the pounding of his heart and the throbbing of his head.

He must have blacked out, because the next thing he became aware of was being held against someone’s broad chest, but the arms holding him were gentle. A familiar voice spoke above him. Slowly, Keith’s awareness returned to him, like he was surfacing from a deep well.

“Keith, can you hear me?”

Keith blinked and then opened his eyes, the light spearing into his pounding skull and the throbbing pain in his chest. He let out a pitiful whimper and squinted up at the concerned face above him.

“Shiro?” He croaked, his voice feeling like sandpaper.

Shiro’s face melted, and he looked like he might cry. His grip on Keith’s torso shifted, allowing him to hug him closer.

“Yeah, buddy. It’s me. Can you tell me what happened?”

There was a crackling noise and Shiro’s comm spoke with Lance’s voice.

_“Hunk and I are on our way with first aid, Shiro. Is your tracking ping active?”_

Shiro moved his right arm and there was a short _beep_. “It is now.”

Keith realized his shirt was wet and sticky. With some difficulty, he looked down and saw Shiro was holding his wadded-up vest over his shredded chest. His awareness was sharpening with every passing moment, and with it came a higher awareness of pain. He whimpered again, feeling almost embarrassed to be making such a sound.

“I know it hurts, buddy. They got you real good. Hunk and Lance will be here in a moment to take you back to the castle.

Keith’s breath hitched and he buried his face in Shiro’s chest.

“They were going to turn me in to the Galra.” He said.

“What was that?”

Keith pulled his head away long enough to speak. “They were bounty hunters. Going to sell me to the Galra.”

Shiro pulled him closer. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about them now. They won’t bother you again.”

“I thought – I thought it was _him_. For a moment I was back _there_.”

Shiro’s breath hitched and he froze for a heartbeat before moving one hand to stroke Keith’s hair.

“You’re not there anymore. You’re safe. You’re safe, and I won’t let those monsters near you again.”

Keith let out a long breath into Shiro’s warm chest. Shiro’s hand carding through his hair felt nice.

They sat there for what felt like vargas, but was likely only a few dobashes, until Keith suddenly remembered. He tried to sit up, failing and collapsing back into Shiro’s arms when a flare of pain hit him.

“What’s the matter?”

Keith pulled on Shiro’s sleeve, trying again to sit up. “I bought some stuff for all of you. Should be around here somewhere.” He craned his neck, squinting at the floor between the open doorway and where they were sitting, trying to spot where he’d dropped the gifts he’d been carrying.

“Oh, you mean these things?” Shiro asked, pointing to the pile of spilled goods he was sitting next to. “I wondered if they were yours.”

“Got them for all of you.” Keith muttered. He was beginning to feel sleepy, and he found it hard to form words. “Didn’t want to let go of them. Made running hard.”

Shiro opened his mouth to reply but a shadow crossing the slanted patches of light in the dim, dusty building signaled the arrival of Hunk and Lance. A faintly glowing Altean stretcher floated between them, upon which sat an Altean first aid kit.

“Holy cheese!” Lance said, his voice splitting into Keith’s head like an axe through a log. He winced. “What did they _do_ to you, man?”

“Lance, keep your voice down!” Hunk hissed, and Lance murmured something apologetic.

Shiro was still crouched on the ground, cradling Keith in his lap, but now he shifted onto the balls of his feet, and together with Hunk lifted Keith onto the stretcher. Keith tried not to cry out when they moved him, but even a tiny movement upset his head and made the clawmarks on his chest stretch painfully. They felt like someone was pouring liquid fire onto them.

At Keith’s cry of pain, Shiro grasped his hand with both of his, holding it tightly. “Just hang on, buddy. A few more minutes and we’ll be back at the castle and the cryopods.”

Keith’s vision was becoming blurry again. Hunk and Lance’s voices, saying something about stopping the bleeding and Shiro’s vest being pressed on top of his chest, were distorted and distant, sounding again like they were underwater. His awareness surfaced briefly, long enough for him to hear Hunk wonder what all this stuff was next to them.

“I think Keith said these were for all of us?” Shiro answered.

Keith grunted, and three blurred faces turned back towards him. Keith guessed they had thought he’d already passed out.

“Wanted to surprise you.” He managed so say. “Didn’t think of anything I wanted, so I got things for you.”

“You got something for every one of us?” Lance sounded almost surprised.

“Yeah. You’re my friends.”

Keith couldn’t see their faces clearly, but he half thought he saw Hunk wipe away a tear. All he knew for certain was Shiro’s hands tightening around his own.

“Man, it’s dusty in here.” Hunk murmured, while Lance said something about getting back to the castle.

The stretcher began to move, and Keith shut his eyes to the light spearing into his skull as they made their way outside. He clutched at Shiro’s hands.

“I’m right here, Keith.” His brother said from somewhere beside him. He would always be right beside him. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Keith felt his consciousness beginning to slip away, but before he completely drifted off, he managed a smile.

“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm literally just making this up as I go along. I have no idea how any of these prompts will turn out.
> 
> Check me out on tumblr!  
> https://ladylienda.tumblr.com/


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